Do you believe in life after Death?

[Trailblazer]

Once the body dies, what is the nature of the soul?

I do not know the nature of the soul. Baha'u'llah wrote that the nature of the soul is a mystery:

“The nature of the soul after death can never be described, nor is it meet and permissible to reveal its whole character to the eyes of men. The Prophets and Messengers of God have been sent down for the sole purpose of guiding mankind to the straight Path of Truth. The purpose underlying Their revelation hath been to educate all men, that they may, at the hour of death, ascend, in the utmost purity and sanctity and with absolute detachment, to the throne of the Most High.”
Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 156-157

“Thou hast asked Me concerning the nature of the soul. Know, verily, that the soul is a sign of God, a heavenly gem whose reality the most learned of men hath failed to grasp, and whose mystery no mind, however acute, can ever hope to unravel. It is the first among all created things to declare the excellence of its Creator, the first to recognize His glory, to cleave to His truth, and to bow down in adoration before Him. If it be faithful to God, it will reflect His light, and will, eventually, return unto Him. If it fail, however, in its allegiance to its Creator, it will become a victim to self and passion, and will, in the end, sink in their depths...”
Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 158-159

In your words, what does consciousness mean to you?

Consciousness means that we will retain the ability to think.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Yes really. This is the Bible’s explanation of why we need to steer clear of any form of spiritism.
Deuteronomy 18:9-12 lists.....”divination, anyone practicing magic, anyone who looks for omens, a sorcerer, 11 anyone binding others with a spell, anyone who consults a spirit medium or a fortune-teller, or anyone who inquires of the dead”.
It’s very specific and these things are “detestable” to God..

It is apparent that most people have failed to discern the difference between what is “spiritual” and what is “spiritistic”.....these are opposites in fact. One is from God the other is from his adversary....a pretend ‘god’ who is powerful, but who gains his followers by deceiving them. The Bible says that he can transform himself into “an angel of light” so that those he can lead astray, don’t even know that they have been conned.

@BSM1 I emphasise that this is the Bible’s explanation for those who care what God says about these things.

The demons don’t get you in just by being wicked...they get you in by pretending to be good....their activities can appear to be beneficial. Unless you understand their MO, and their agenda (to lead people away from the true God).....they’ve gotcha.

It was more sarcastic. Each of us have our various beliefs. Challenging his beliefs is fine, just a bit more like telling him that he's wrong rather than learning about what he believes regardless ya's disagreements. I'll put it bluntly. All of what you're saying sounds fictional but I can respect it insofar not to say you're wrong about it. Not sure why you do that. But it's interesting.

 

[Trailblazer]

That sums up what I call "not convincing".

You read it already? That was fast.

 

[BSM1]

Yes really. This is the Bible’s explanation of why we need to steer clear of any form of spiritism.
Deuteronomy 18:9-12 lists.....”divination, anyone practicing magic, anyone who looks for omens, a sorcerer, 11 anyone binding others with a spell, anyone who consults a spirit medium or a fortune-teller, or anyone who inquires of the dead”.
It’s very specific and these things are “detestable” to God..

It is apparent that most people have failed to discern the difference between what is “spiritual” and what is “spiritistic”.....these are opposites in fact. One is from God the other is from his adversary....a pretend ‘god’ who is powerful, but who gains his followers by deceiving them. The Bible says that he can transform himself into “an angel of light” so that those he can lead astray, don’t even know that they have been conned.

@BSM1 I emphasise that this is the Bible’s explanation for those who care what God says about these things.

The demons don’t get you in just by being wicked...they get you in by pretending to be good....their activities can appear to be beneficial. Unless you understand their MO, and their agenda (to lead people away from the true God).....they’ve gotcha.

This is so archaic and nonsensical that I am almost speechless.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

You read it already? That was fast.

Magic powers. Looks like an okay book. Bahai focused or in general? Given the word messangers

 

[Deeje]

It was more sarcastic. Each of us have our various beliefs. Challenging his beliefs is fine, just a bit more like telling him that he's wrong rather than learning about what he believes regardless ya's disagreements. I'll put it bluntly. All of what you're saying sounds fictional but I can respect it insofar not to say you're wrong about it. Not sure why you do that. But it's interesting.

Sarcasm not withstanding....please understand that those who worship the God of the Bible are under obligation to give its message to others. Hearing the truth about any matter can alter people’s perceptions about many things. It’s why Jesus instructed his disciples to preach his message. Being a messenger does not involve judging others, but we can judge what they believe and offer the Bible’s message FWIW. Like Jesus, the message is given on a “take it or leave it” basis.

There is no obligation on anyone’s part to do anything against their will, but having delivered that message, means that those who hear it can no longer claim ignorance.

Everyone is free to believe whatever they wish......but please understand the motive behind our need to inform others about what we believe is the truth.....it is not an “I’m right and you’re wrong” finger pointing, but rather that someone’s everlasting future can be altered by their accepting the Bible’s message and correcting their course. You can’t make an informed choice unless you know what the choices are.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Sarcasm not withstanding....please understand that those who worship the God of the Bible are under obligation to give its message to others. Hearing the truth about any matter can alter people’s perceptions about many things. It’s why Jesus instructed his disciples to preach his message. Being a messenger does not involve judging others, but we can judge what they believe and offer the Bible’s message FWIW. Like Jesus, the message is given on a “take it or leave it” basis.

There is no obligation on anyone’s part to do anything against their will, but having delivered that message, means that those who hear it can no longer claim ignorance.

Everyone is free to believe whatever they wish......but please understand the motive behind our need to inform others about what we believe is the truth.....it is not an “I’m right and you’re wrong” finger pointing, but rather that someone’s everlasting future can be altered by their accepting the Bible’s message and correcting their course. You can’t make an informed choice unless you know what the choices are.

You don't think you're harming people by some of the things you are saying to others?

It's kind of like giving someone medicine who you think is sick. They tell you beforehand they are not. You walk away thinking at least you gave them the meds without listening to them tell you they don't have symptoms.

Of course it's justified by god but then many who spread his message say they care about others at the same time. But at what expense?

 

[Trailblazer]

Magic powers. Looks like an okay book. Bahai focused or in general? Given the word messangers

No, it is not a Baha'i book or a religious book. He comes from a nonreligious angle.

 

[Deeje]

This is so archaic and nonsensical that I am almost speechless.

Feel free to respond however you wish.....”God” is considered archaic by many......but he is not irrelevant to his own intelligent creation....and for them, his laws are not negotiable.

Does it mean that you can wish him away by not believing in him? You can believe that his laws are nonsensical. We all have free will.....to believe whatever suits us.

But whatever happens......you can’t say that you weren’t informed.....can you? Informed choice is the only one worth making, isn’t it?
We will all find out soon enough I think.

 

[BSM1]

Feel free to respond however you wish.....”God” is considered archaic by many......but he is not irrelevant to his own intelligent creation....and for them, his laws are not negotiable.

Does it mean that you can wish him away by not believing in him? You can believe that his laws are nonsensical. We all have free will.....to believe whatever suits us.

But whatever happens......you can’t say that you weren’t informed.....can you? Informed choice is the only one worth making, isn’t it?
We will all find out soon enough I think.

Careful, your 'cult' is showing...

 

[Trailblazer]

Does it mean that you can wish him away by not believing in him?

How do you know he does not believe in God?

 

[Deeje]

You don't think you're harming people by some of the things you are saying to others?

Sometimes the truth hurts.....but it’s the only thing worth staking your life on.....

If I saw an out of control vehicle heading towards you and I yelled out to you to “look out” but you didn’t believe me, would you object if I crash tackled you and broke your arm to save your life?
Would it hurt your feelings?

What would you prefer....an inconvenient truth or a convenient lie?....a broken arm or being dead?

It's kind of like giving someone medicine who you think is sick. They tell you beforehand they are not. You walk away thinking at least you gave them the meds without listening to them tell you they don't have symptoms.

It’s worse if you take medicine that makes your symptoms go away but is quietly killing you. If I tell you that the meds you are taking have certain death as a side effect, would you continue to take it because it made you feel good for a time?

Of course it's justified by god but then many who spread his message say they care about others at the same time. But at what expense?

Again, I will not withhold the message to save someone’s feelings any more than I would stand there and watch you get hit by a truck. Tough love is better than overindulgence or indifference....the truth doesn’t care about offending your sensibilities.......it is what it is. It doesn’t tip-toe around people’s feelings.

But it is offered on a take it or leave it basis.....you can leave it and that’s your choice.

 

[Deeje]

How do you know he does not believe in God?

I guess we have to define “God” in that question......my God is definitely not your god.....not even close.

It’s interesting to contemplate communicating with dead people without considering where they are and how they got there?

Where does the God of the Bible fit into that scenario when he forbade his people to dabble in any form of spiritism? How does the word “detestable” not convey his complete abhorrence of the practice? It carried the death penalty......so people can disobey it if they wish......for now.

 

[Trailblazer]

I guess we have to define “God” in that question......my God is definitely not your god.....not even close.

There is not my God and your God.... There is only One God, the one true God of all the religions.

“Regard thou the one true God as One Who is apart from, and immeasurably exalted above, all created things. The whole universe reflecteth His glory, while He is Himself independent of, and transcendeth His creatures. This is the true meaning of Divine unity. He Who is the Eternal Truth is the one Power Who exerciseth undisputed sovereignty over the world of being, Whose image is reflected in the mirror of the entire creation. All existence is dependent upon Him, and from Him is derived the source of the sustenance of all things. This is what is meant by Divine unity; this is its fundamental principle.”
Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 167

 

[Unveiled Artist]

This is sad, though.

What would you prefer....an inconvenient truth or a convenient lie?....a broken arm or being dead?

If the person who tells you they haven't broken their arm and you think they are lying, there's a problem.

It’s worse if you take medicine that makes your symptoms go away but is quietly killing you. If I tell you that the meds you are taking have certain death as a side effect, would you continue to take it because it made you feel good for a time?

If the person does not have an illness and tells you he has no symptoms, he wouldn't expect to be treated for an illness he doesn't have. (Assuming it is an adult you're not taking care of)

You give the wrong meds because that's what you think will help the other, they get more sick than just letting them go to a doctor that will best suit their health (if they need to go to one to begin with).

Again, I will not withhold the message to save someone’s feelings any more than I would stand there and watch you get hit by a truck. Tough love is better than overindulgence or indifference....the truth doesn’t care about offending your sensibilities.......it is what it is. It doesn’t tip-toe around people’s feelings.

That's the problem there. Caring for god (yourself) at the expense of someone else's "physical, mental, and emotional" well-being is the key issue here not disagreeing with your theology. People follow thousands of different theologies etc but their actions and words dictate whether that theology helps them help others or does the theology do otherwise-cause wars etc.

 

[Deeje]

There is not my God and your God.... There is only One God, the one true God of all the religions.

“Regard thou the one true God as One Who is apart from, and immeasurably exalted above, all created things. The whole universe reflecteth His glory, while He is Himself independent of, and transcendeth His creatures. This is the true meaning of Divine unity. He Who is the Eternal Truth is the one Power Who exerciseth undisputed sovereignty over the world of being, Whose image is reflected in the mirror of the entire creation. All existence is dependent upon Him, and from Him is derived the source of the sustenance of all things. This is what is meant by Divine unity; this is its fundamental principle.”
Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 167

That is your delusion I believe. You can’t pretend to accept the God of the Bible, (who railed against any form of worship that was outside of his own prescribed worship given to the Jews) and then ignore everything he taught by cherry picking scripture to fit your beliefs.

Baha’i, in no way represents the God of the Bible IMO. Your god does not resemble my God in any way. You put all your faith in a prophet who has absolutely no credibility as far as the Bible is concerned. Someone talked him into Scripture. But “False Christs” and “false prophets” were prophesied.....and they were going to “mislead many”....(Matthew 24:23-25) Seems as though they did. So we have to discern the difference......only God’s spirit can lead us in the right direction. (John 6:44; 65)

 

[Trailblazer]

That is your delusion I believe.

Baha’i, in no way represents the God of the Bible IMO. Your god does not resemble my God in any way.

I believe that is your delusion.
I believe there is only one God, the One True God of the Bible and all the other religions.
Christians do not own God or the religion of God, some of them just believe they do.

“From the beginning of the world until the present time each ‘Manifestation’ 1 sent from God has been opposed by an embodiment of the ‘Powers of Darkness’.

This dark power has always endeavoured to extinguish the light. Tyranny has ever sought to overcome justice. Ignorance has persistently tried to trample knowledge underfoot. This has, from the earliest ages, been the method of the material world.

In the time of Moses, Pharaoh set himself to prevent the Mosaic Light being spread abroad.

In the day of Christ, Annas and Caiaphas inflamed the Jewish people against Him and the learned doctors of Israel joined together to resist His Power. All sorts of calumnies were circulated against Him. The Scribes and Pharisees conspired to make the people believe Him to be a liar, an apostate, and a blasphemer. They spread these slanders throughout the whole Eastern world against Christ, and caused Him to be condemned to a shameful death!

In the case of Muhammad also, the learned doctors of His day determined to extinguish the light of His influence. They tried by the power of the sword to prevent the spread of His teaching.

In spite of all their efforts the Sun of Truth shone forth from the horizon. In every case the army of light vanquished the powers of darkness on the battlefield of the world, and the radiance of the Divine Teaching illumined the earth. Those who accepted the Teaching and worked for the Cause of God became luminous stars in the sky of humanity.

Now, in our own day, history repeats itself.

Those who would have men believe that religion is their own private property once more bring their efforts to bear against the Sun of Truth: they resist the Command of God; they invent calumnies, not having arguments against it, neither proofs. They attack with masked faces, not daring to come forth into the light of day.”
Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks

 

[Deeje]

If the person who tells you they haven't broken their arm and you think they are lying, there's a problem.

Do do you know that it is possible to have a broken arm and not believe it? It takes an XRay to prove it, but unless you consent to the XRay, you won’t have the proof. And even if you had the XRay but you refused to look at it or to believe the diagnosis, and refused treatment.....it’s still your choice....right? It’s not a good choice, but it’s your right to make it.
Yet, which course is the most realistic and beneficial, even though some pain is involved? The longer you leave that broken arm untreated, the worse your condition will become.

If the person does not have an illness and tells you he has no symptoms, he wouldn't expect to be treated for an illness he doesn't have. (Assuming it is an adult you're not taking care of)

You give the wrong meds because that's what you think will help the other, they get more sick than just letting them go to a doctor that will best suit their health (if they need to go to one to begin with).

Adults are all accountable for their choices. Where God is concerned, he does not demand that anyone obey him or to accept the message that his worshippers are instructed to preach.....but it’s their response to this message that determines their future. It’s designed to separate people so that when the foretold judgment comes, everyone will have made their own choices. Whether or not they have made the right choice will soon become obvious, according to the Bible. So it doesn’t matter whether they accept it or not.....the important thing is that decisions were made....and we have all basically determined our own future.

That's the problem there. Caring for god (yourself) at the expense of someone else's "physical, mental, and emotional" well-being is the key issue here not disagreeing with your theology. People follow thousands of different theologies etc but their actions and words dictate whether that theology helps them help others or does the theology do otherwise-cause wars etc.

Tell me what is preferable.......believing a lie that made you feel good....or accepting a difficult truth that forced you to face an inconvenient reality?

The truth creates peace......in so many ways....there is inner peace despite outside hostility....there is peace in our spiritual family because we all agree.....there is peace in our future, despite the present chaos. Our emotions are not a good indicator of truth.....they can so easily be swayed and they can cause conflict within oneself and with those around them who disagree.....that is what causes a lot of mental and emotional health issues. In such a religiously divided world, its important to know the truth.....there can only be one....so who has it? We have to decide that for ourselves.

The thousands of different theologies do not promote peace in the world....in fact they are often the catalyst for hatred and bloodshed. Pointing people to God's peaceful solution is not doing damage....it is giving people choices. They are free to accept them or to dismiss them. Why is that unfair?

 

[osgart]

I don't have any skin in the disagreement. But I lean heavily on the idea that every human must choose to be a truly good person or a false bad person all on their own. Not even God can make the choice for anyone.

The God of the Bible wants salvation through God alone.

The Ba'hai seems to overlook that and believe God is calling us all to pick ourselves up and make our own way to God by following Ba'hai laws given by God.

If I had to guess I would say that Ba'hai people look at all previous religions to be human constructs with a little bit of Divine light in those religions.

But I do see discrepancies from one book to another. And those discrepancies are major differences.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Yet, which course is the most realistic and beneficial, even though some pain is involved? The longer you leave that broken arm untreated, the worse your condition will become.

I'm talking about those who know their arm is broken. Those who don't would probably need to go to various doctors to get second and third opinions rather than taking one doctor's view.

Since religion is basically what helps with the broken arm, there's no right or wrong just what is "best for that person" not you, me, or John or Jill. In other words, I wouldn't send them to a foot doctor or a neurologist and don't expect the two to give sound advice for problems they have no experience in treating.

Adults are all accountable for their choices. Where God is concerned, he does not demand that anyone obey him or to accept the message that his worshippers are instructed to preach.....but it’s their response to this message that determines their future. It’s designed to separate people so that when the foretold judgment comes, everyone will have made their own choices. Whether or not they have made the right choice will soon become obvious, according to the Bible. So it doesn’t matter whether they accept it or not.....the important thing is that decisions were made....and we have all basically determined our own future.

This is your belief. What about the people you want to save?

Does their opinion about their own wellbeing account for anything to you? (Yes/no?)

Tell me what is preferable.......believing a lie that made you feel good....or accepting a difficult truth that forced you to face an inconvenient reality?

In and of itself-without religious influence-either or if it does not harm me, my wellbeing, etc.

Religiously? That depends on the religion. One person isn't subject to the criteria of someone else's religion they don't practice. So, the question is very biased.

The thousands of different theologies do not promote peace in the world....in fact they are often the catalyst for hatred and bloodshed. Pointing people to God's peaceful solution is not doing damage....it is giving people choices. They are free to accept them or to dismiss them. Why is that unfair?

Many do. Just your criteria of seeing the negativity in them is blocking your view about how they help people spiritually and on this earth and so forth.

The belief in one god, sacrifice, and blood has lead to many wars. Not all religions (thank god ) have the same history as believers of god do. Thousands of theologies not one or two.